The artistry of glass-making is over 4,000 years old, originating with the discovery of applying extreme heat to a mixture of silica sand—likely taken from the beaches along the coast of Mesopotamia and Egypt—and alkali, a naturally occurring chemical compound. This simple alchemy of heat and natural elements began an art form that has continuously evolved from the expulsion of glassmaking in Venice to the island of Murano at the beginning of the Renaissance, to the Studio Art movement started by two Americans in 1962. Over time the materiality of glass has been tested and transformed by artists. Today contemporary glass art is an expansive field that blends historical methods with current interests, resulting in stunning and divergent artworks.

Divergent Materiality: Contemporary Glass Art highlights contemporary glass artists—both masters and emerging—whose innovative approaches to using glass have advanced the medium’s discourse within contemporary art. The exhibition developed from a collaboration with four local glass art collector couples: Judy and Stuart Heller, Linda and Sherman Saperstein, Sharon and Fred Schomer, and Gail and Dan Tenn. Each couple brings a unique perspective to collecting and an abundance of knowledge about glass art and artists. The gallery installation features 30 selections from their collections and SMoCA’s collection.

Organized by the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Curated by Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art Lauren R. O’Connell. Generous support provided by The Arizona Glass Alliance, Judy and Stuart Heller, Linda and Sherman Saperstein, Sharon and Fred Schomer, Penelope and Richard Post, and Gail and Dan Tenn. Installation design by Jay Atherton, Clay Studio.

Artists include: Oben Abright, Dean Allison, Junichiro Baba, Howard Ben Tré, Bertil Vallien, Cassandria Blackmore, Christina Bothwell, Peter Bremers, Dale Chihuly, Steven Ciezki, Matt Eskuche, Jan Exnar, Ruben Fasani, Joseph Ivacic, Richard Jolley, Vladimira Klumpar, Karen Lamonte, Stanislav Libensky and Jaroslava Brychtová, Harvey Littleton, Lucy Lyon, Dante Marioni, Flo Perkins, Charlotte Potter, Ragna Róbertsdóttir, Ginny Ruffner, Therman Statom, Ethan Stern, Lino Tagliapietra, Tim Tate, and Vivian Wang.

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